CSULB Staff and Alum Join Al Gore's Climate Reality Leadership Corps

CSULB Sustainability Coordinator Holli Fajack, Sustainability Program Specialist Lilian Ledesma, and CSULB alumnus Adeline Morley were among those selected from across California and 40 different countries to take part in the Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on August 28th through 30th.

Founded by Former Vice President Al Gore, the goal of the Climate Reality Project is to teach people from all walks of life to become more effective leaders in the global fight for climate change solutions. The Los Angeles training was the 39th to be organized by the Climate Reality Project since it was founded more than 10 years ago, shortly after Mr. Gore's documentary film An Inconvenient Truth was released and raised global consciousness about the issue of climate change. While the very first training was held in a barn with only a handful of people, the Los Angeles training accepted more than 2,200 participants, making it the largest training the organization has held to date. 

“I feel extremely fortunate that I was selected to participate in such an incredible event,” said Fajack. “Being in a room with so many people who are committed to the climate change fight is truly inspiring and fills my heart with hope.”

Over the course of the three day training, participants attended workshops, listened to presentations and panel discussions, and networked with fellow climate change activists. On day one, participants were divided into groups based on their geographical location and assigned a mentor to provide them with guidance and support during and, more importantly, after the training. The goal of this arrangement is to create a sense of community and foster the creation of new networks of climate activists who live and work close enough to support one another. 

The main goal of the training, however, is to empower participants to complete “acts of leadership” that raise awareness about the climate crisis and build public support and political pressure to bring about the necessary solutions. The principal act of leadership is giving public presentations about the causes of global warming and the actions that are needed to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. To prepare trainees to do this, Mr. Gore himself gave a nearly 2 hour presentation that included over 600 PowerPoint slides. The presentation covered both issues such as extreme weather events such as hurricanes and droughts, and solutions such as the increasingly rapid adoption of renewable energy technologies around the world. Although trained Climate Reality Leaders would never be expected to give such a lengthy presentation themselves, having the opportunity to hear the passionate way in which Mr. Gore presents the material was both inspiring and instructive.

To support their own ability to be effective presenters, the trainees participated in workshops focused on building their communication, presentation, and storytelling skills. On day 3, Mr. Gore also gave a 10-minute version of the presentation called “Truth in 10” to demonstrate how to convey the most critical parts of the message in a short time.

In addition to Mr. Gore, the event featured other dynamic speakers including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Amanda Gorman, Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. Mr. Gore and others also moderated panel discussions with a diverse set of policymakers, activists and thought leaders on topics as varied as “Ensuring Climate Equity,” “Firefighters on the Climate Frontlines,” and “Getting Real about Rapid Decarbonization.”

Ever present themes throughout the event were the importance of building political support for shifting to a post-carbon society, and ensuring that underprivileged people and people of color have a seat at the table so that climate change solutions will be equitable and just. The event organizers also went out of their way to demonstrate sustainable event management practices such as eliminating all disposable items from their food service and providing a lunch menu that was 100% vegetarian and vegan. 

"This is the largest zero-waste event I have ever seen," remarked Ledesma, "and the food is delicious!" 

Now that they have completed the training, Fajack, Ledesma, Morley, and the other newly trained Climate Reality Leaders are required to complete a minimum of 10 Acts of Leadership within the next year. If you would like to request a presentation for your class, student club, faculty/staff committee, or any other group on campus, please complete the REQUEST FORM and they will do their best to accommodate you.